BEAM, JUSTICE, FOR THE COURT:
¶ 1. This case comes to the Court on interlocutory appeal of the Lincoln County Circuit court's Order Denying the Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment. Although the plaintiff's overarching claim is framed in negligence, it factually sounds in intentional tort and is subsequently barred by the one-year statute of limitations under Mississippi Code Section 15-1-49. Therefore, this Court reverses the trial court's Order Denying Summary Judgement and renders a verdict in favor of the Defendant.
¶ 2. The following facts are disputed, though they have been summarized based on both party's briefs, deposition transcripts, and trial court orders.
¶ 3. On May 24, 2010, Plaintiff/Respondent D.D. McCullough was injured when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Petitioner/Defendant George Varnado. Varnado, an employee of Petitioner/Defendant
¶ 4. Throughout his inspection, Varnado discovered deficiencies in violation of the BPA, after which he returned to the cab of his truck and began to write a deficiency report. McCullough approached Varnado's vehicle and asked what he was doing, to which Varnado responded, that he was "writing deficiencies."
¶ 5. McCullough continued to urge Varnardo to "get out and talk." Without warning or a discernable request to leave the property,
¶ 6. McCullough approached the vehicle a third time and implored Varnado to get out and talk, while Varnado continued to yell inaudible responses from the safety of the truck cab. Varnado then moved the truck forward and "went straight through," knocking McCullough's "ass off," causing him to fall and hit his head on the truck's bumper. The impact pushed McCullough to the side of the truck, after which Varnado continued to drive off and exited the property.
¶ 7. Following the altercation, Varnado returned to McCullough's property, accompanied by several Sanderson officials and a deputy sheriff. The officials and the deputy approached McCullough's home in an effort to discuss the incident. They requested that McCullough go with them to the Sanderson office to discuss it further, but he refused and said that he was going to the emergency room instead. The officials, Varnado, and the deputy then left the property.
¶ 8. On May 26, two days following the incident, McCullough received a letter from Sanderson, terminating the BPA. The termination letter cited the BPA and noted that McCullough had violated both the duty to not interfere with Sanderson employees in the execution of their duties and the duty to not use threatening language
¶ 9. McCullough subsequently filed two lawsuits; the first, which alleged Sanderson's breach of contract, was dismissed on summary judgment. The second — the case at hand — alleges that Varnado (and, as a result, Sanderson) breached the duty of reasonable care to operate a motor vehicle safely when Varnado failed to allow McCullough to move out of the truck's path prior to accelerating forward. Following a period of discovery, Sanderson and Varnado moved for summary judgment, claiming that McCullough's suit alleged a tort in negligence where, factually, the actions identified would constitute an intentional tort. Sanderson asserts that, sounding in intentional tort, McCullough's claims are time-barred and the suit should be dismissed.
¶ 10. The trial judge reviewed the partys' arguments and determined that, because Varnado denies having hit McCullough with his truck, much less intentionally doing so, a genuine issue of material fact exists surrounding the claims. The court denied the defendant's motion, and Sanderson filed this appeal.
¶ 11. On interlocutory appeal, and in their motion for summary judgment, Sanderson and Varnado (collectively, Defendants) argue the following issues:
Because we find that McCullough's claims are grounded in intentional tort, rather than negligence, they are accordingly time-barred. As all other issues are now immaterial, we address only the petitioner's first issue.
¶ 12. This Court employs the de novo standard when reviewing a lower court's grant or denial of summary judgment and examines all the evidentiary matters before it, including admissions in pleadings, answers to interrogatories, deposition testimony, affidavits, etc. McMillan v. Rodriguez, 823 So.2d 1173, 1176-77 (Miss. 2002), citations omitted. Summary judgment is properly granted when the "pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file ... show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." M.R.C.P. (56)(c). The evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Simpson, 880 So.2d at 1050. However, that party's claim must be supported by more than a mere scintilla of colorable evidence; it must be evidence upon which a fair-minded jury could return a favorable verdict. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). "[A] complete failure of proof concerning an essential element of the non-moving party's case necessarily renders all other facts immaterial." Galloway et al. v. The Travelers Ins. Co., et al., 515 So.2d 678, 683 (Miss. 1987). If, in this view, there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law, summary judgment should be granted in his or her favor. Anderson, 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505.
¶ 13. While McCullough alleges negligence in his complaint, calling for the application of the three-year statute of limitations, this Court is not bound by the claims set forth in his petition.
¶ 14. Under Section 15-1-35 of the Mississippi Code, civil actions for enumerated intentional torts-including assault, battery, and recently, intentional infliction of emotional distress
¶ 15. The incident at McCullough's farm occurred on May 24, 2010, though the claims against Sanderson and Varnado were not filed until June 17, 2011-roughly one month beyond the running of the statute of limitations for intentional torts. All issues presented in this appeal depend on the substantive basis of McCullough's claims and whether Varnado acted intentionally or negligently when he hit McCullough with his truck. If he acted intentionally, McCullough's claims are time-barred; if he acted negligently, then the claims are timely under Mississippi Code Section 15-1-49 and its three-year limitations period.
¶ 16. The intentional tort of assault "occurs where a person (1) acts intending to cause a harmful or offensive contact with the person of the other or a third person, or an imminent apprehension of such contact, and (2) the other is thereby put in such imminent apprehension." Morgan v. Greenwaldt, 786 So.2d 1037, 1043 (Miss. 2001) (citing Webb v. Jackson, 583 So.2d 946, 951 (Miss. 1991)). However, an action done without the requisite intent "does not make the actor liable to the other" for the apprehension caused, "although the act involves an unreasonable risk of causing it and, therefore, would be negligent or reckless if the risk threatened bodily harm." Restatement (Second) of Torts, § 21 (1965). "Intent is an emotional operation of the mind, and is usually shown by acts and declarations of the defendant coupled with facts and circumstances
¶ 17. Alternatively, to prevail on a claim of negligence, the "plaintiff must establish by a preponderance of the evidence each of the elements of negligence: duty, breach, causation and injury." Miss. Dep't of Mental Health v. Hall, 936 So.2d 917, 922 (Miss. 2006) (quoting Miss. Dep't of Transp. v. Cargile, 847 So.2d 258, 262 (Miss. 2003), overruled on other grounds by Miss. Transp. Comm'n v. Montgomery, 80 So.3d 789 (Miss. 2012)). Further, the plaintiff must show "a causal connection between the breach and the [injury], such that the breach is the proximate cause of the [injury]." Double Quick v. Lymas, 50 So.3d 292, 298 (Miss. 2010). The plaintiff must first prove the existence of a duty owed, then "[t]he elements of breach and proximate cause must be established... with supporting evidence. Duty and breach of duty, which both involve foreseeability, are essential to finding negligence and [therefore,] must be demonstrated first." Griffith v. Entergy Miss., Inc., 203 So.3d 579,585 (Miss. 2016) (citations omitted). Generally, if a person of ordinary intelligence would not have "anticipated the dangers that his negligent act created for others," then the injury would not be considered foreseeable. Ogburn v. City of Wiggins, 919 So.2d 85, 92 (Miss. Ct. App. 2005) (citations omitted). Moreover, "[f]oreseeability does not require that a person anticipate the precise manner in which injury will occur once he has created a dangerous situation through his negligence." Id.
¶ 18. These rules make clear that the principal difference between an intentional tort and negligence is that "an intentional tort is an act of intentional behavior designed to bring about the injury,"
¶ 19. Looking to the deposition transcripts, McCullough's account of the event implies that he perceived Varnado's actions as intentional. Specifically, McCoullough stated that, with less than one foot
¶ 20. Alternatively, Varnado contends that, while there was a dispute between McCullough and himself on May 24, at no point did he hit the grower with his truck; much less did he do so intentionally. He claims that there was neither an intentional act nor a negligent one, because the incident never happened. While Varnado's deposition transcript was not presented to the trial court and is not properly before this court, attorneys for both parties described the provided testimony to the trial judge at the hearing on the defendant's motion for summary judgment. There, counsel for the plaintiff discussed the content of Varnado's testimony, noting that "part of his deposition said, I never intended to run over the man." Defense counsel also summarized this portion of the deposition, stating that "he never intended to run over [McCullough]. In fact, he denies that he ever did run over him. His testimony is completely the opposite of what Mr. McCullough has testified to with respect to the contact of his vehicle with Mr. McCullough." The defense attorney further noted that, throughout Vanardo's testimony, "the whole point is that [the incident] never happened." The trial court reviewed this summary together with McCullough's testimony and ruled that, in light of Varnado's account, a genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether his actions that day were intentional or whether the accident even occurred. This ruling seems to consider only the attorneys' summaries of Varnado's testimony and fails to account for all other testimony presented. In its order-which opted for brevity over detail-the court failed to address the lack of evidence presented by Plaintiff to support the claim that Defendants acted negligently. Rather, the court focused its ruling on testimony taken out of context, understanding only that Varnado did not intend to hit McCullough, but ignoring the fact that intent was mentioned only to support the fact that he denied the incident entirely. When viewed in light of McCullough's deposition and his description of the events, Varnado's claim that he did not hit McCullough and (as a result) did not intend to hit him, does not rise to the level of the material factual dispute needed to deny summary judgment.
¶ 21. As the Supreme Court of the United States has held (and this Court steadfastly has followed),
Galloway v. Travelers Ins. Co., 515 So.2d 678, 683 (Miss. 1987) (citing Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986) (emphasis added)). Here, the only "proof concerning an essential element of the non-moving party's case," was provided by McCullough through his deposition transcripts. To prove his allegation of negligence has merit, he cites the following dialogue:
¶ 22. McCullough asserts that this testimony shows that Varnado's act was one of negligence, and not intent, as his failure to allow a person time to move from in front of his vehicle before proceeding forward, thereby striking the individual, can be perceived only as a breach of his owed duty of care. We find that this excerpt does not, in fact, show negligence, but instead furthers Sanderson's claim that the act was intentional. Without more, this testimony merely addresses the fact that Varnado willingly and without hesitation accelerated his truck forward, doing nothing to advance Plaintiff's claim of negligence.
¶ 23. In its ruling, the trial court proposed that "the defendant, George Varnado, testified that he either did not intent [sic] to strike the plaintiff with his vehicle or that he did not in fact strike the plaintiff with this vehicle." However, the court's ruling-seemingly based completely on Varnado's deposition excerpt-again misinterprets the provided testimony.
¶ 24. While the question of whether the incident occurred remains in dispute, it does not affect the question of whether the act-if it in fact occurred-sounds in negligence or intentional tort. For our purposes, if Varnado did not hit McCullough, as he asserts, then the claim is baseless and thus should be dismissed. Alternatively, if he did hit McCullough, he did so intentionally, which, in turn, bars Plaintiff's action. In either scenario, the case presents no genuine issue of material fact for review. Accordingly, because the court's ruling on this issue was based solely on a misinterpretation of testimony provided, it was in error and merits reversal.
¶ 25. The court's application of Varnado's testimony is not the only basis for this Court's reversal, however. In addition to the deposition testimony, the record includes an itemization of undisputed facts provided by both plaintiff and defendants. Defendants filed their list first, with Plaintiff responding in turn, and both parties agreed that (1) there was an incident on May 24, 2010, (2) after a verbal altercation regarding a deficiency report, (3) In which Plaintiff was standing in front of Defendant's truck, (4) during which Plaintiff alleges that Varnado struck him three times with the vehicle. McCullough did not rebut any of Defendant's undisputed facts, nor did he seek to amend the statements he made through his deposition by which he described an intentional act by Varnado, indicating an assault under Section 15-1-35.
Bratschi v. Ray, 393 So.2d 1356, 1359-60 (Miss. 1981). Through his deposition testimony, McCullough has met both prongs of the Bratschi test: first, Varnado was in the truck, in front of McCullough, in plain view and within earshot of his pleas to exit the vehicle to talk. Second, he testified multiple times, in various ways, that Varnado "meant" to hit him with his truck. This amounts to definitive, uncontested evidence that serves to defeat his requested recovery and bar his claims under Section 15-1-49.
¶ 27. Finally, the complaint and McCullough's responses provide no indication of negligence other than bald assertions and a perversion of the provided testimony. Most notably, the complaint states that the negligence occurred through Varnado's failure to operate his vehicle in a safe manner, breaching his duty of reasonable care to pedestrians. It further shows that when he struck McCullough, Varnado caused physical injuries and other consequential damages. While serving as a "short plain statement," these claims failed to be supported by the testimonial evidence and limited items in discovery, as discussed above. Without alleging additional evidence of negligence, McCullough has failed to "make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to the case...," making it ideal for summary judgment. Karpinsky v. Am. Nat'l Ins. Co., 109 84, 89 (Miss. 2013) (quoting Buckel v. Chaney, 47 So.3d 148, 153 (Miss. 2010)).
¶ 28. In his response to Defendant's motion for summary judgment, McCullough elaborates on his negligence theory by noting that "Varnado had a duty not to strike the Plaintiff with his vehicle," and because the "evidence clearly shows that Varnado struck the Plaintiff with his vehicle [and] [t]he Plaintiff's testimony ... sets forth that he was injured as a result [of the collision]," Plaintiff is entitled to damages. Not unlike every other motorist, Varnado owed McCullough a high duty of care in operating his vehicle; however, by definition, "there is no such thing as a negligent assault." Webb v. Jackson, 583 So.2d 946, 951 (Miss. 1991) (citations omitted). Therefore, even if he breached his duty to operate the truck safely, in acting
¶ 29. According to McCullough, there is no question that Varnado was (or should have been) aware that moving his vehicle forward would result in an injury. After requesting Varnado to exit the vehicle, McCullough positioned himself in front of the truck, on the driver's side, directly in line with the steering wheel. Varnado claims that, at this point, McCullough began to curse and pound on the hood of the truck, while McCullough asserts that he stood at the front of the truck and shouted to Varnado to "get out and talk." Varnado acknowledged that McCullough was in front of the truck, within an arm's length of the hood. McCullough acknowledged that Varnado saw him. Both accounts indicate that one thing was certain: McCullough was situated in a position in front of the vehicle, such that if Varnado moved forward, he did so knowing that McCullough undoubtedly would be in the truck's immediate path. While McCullough claims that accelerating the vehicle forward without allowing him to move indicates negligence on Varnado's part, doing so three times and making contact with McCullough each time demonstrates something more than mere negligence, rising to the level of an intentional act. Because McCullough failed to offer proof to support the essential elements of negligence in this case, he accordingly failed to make a sufficient showing to survive summary judgment. See Celetox, 477 U.S. 317, 322-323, 106 S.Ct. 2548.
¶ 30. It is well-settled in this state that claims for intentional torts of assault and battery fall under the restrictions of Mississippi Code Section 15-1-35. Moreover, just as this Court does not recognize claims of "negligent assault," it accordingly does not recognize claims for intentional torts veiled in a cloak of negligence. Jordan v. Wilson, 5 So.3d 442, 447 (Miss. App. 2008). McCullough's claims, though carefully presented through the elements of duty, breach, causation, and injury do not conform to the State's prima facie requirements for negligence. Rather, the evidence presented through the testimony provided indicates an "intentional behavior designed to bring about the injury." Peaster v. David New Drilling Co., 642 So.2d 344, 349 (Miss. 1994) (citations omitted). Because there are no triable issues of material fact in the record for the case at hand, and McCullough's claims are barred by the applicable statute of limitations, we reverse the trial court's decision to deny summary judgment, granting Sanderson's motion and rendering the case dismissed.
¶ 31.
WALLER, C.J., DICKINSON, P.J., KITCHENS, KING, COLEMAN AND MAXWELL, JJ., CONCUR. CHAMBERLIN, J., CONCURS IN RESULT ONLY WITHOUT SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION. RANDOLPH, P.J., NOT PARTICIPATING.
In his complaint, McCullough notes that the "negligent acts and omissions of the Defendants proximately caused damages to Plaintiff...." While Mississippi employs a liberal pleading standard through Rule 8 of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure, this "short and plain statement" fails to set forth a claim including "factual allegations, either direct or inferential, respecting each material element necessary to sustain recovery under some actionable legal theory." Carter v. Reddix, 115 So.3d 851 (Miss. App. 2012). See also Penn. Nat'l Gaming, Inc. v. Ratliff, 954 So.2d 427, 432 (Miss. 2007). "Even under [these] liberal pleading requirements, a plaintiff must set forth factual allegations ... respecting each material element necessary to sustain recovery under some actionable legal theory; however, the pleadings need only provide sufficient notice to the defendant of the claims and grounds upon which relief is sought." Scott v. City of Goodman, 997 So.2d 270 (Miss. App. 2008) (citing M.R.C.P. 8(a)).
To that end, the Mississippi Court of Appeals has held that, without warning or reason to know or anticipate that an employee would behave in a violent manner, an employer cannot be held to be liable on an improper training or supervision theory of liability. Holmes v. Campbell Props., Inc., 47 So.3d 721, 729 (Miss. Ct. App. 2010). When there is "no contradicting evidence of prior actual or constructive knowledge of ... violent nature[, or] any indication of any actual or constructive knowledge that an atmosphere of violence existed [at employee's worksite]," an employer cannot be held to have acted unreasonably. Id. This Court has repeatedly supported this view in various negligence cases against employers. See Simpson v. Boyd, 880 So.2d 1047 (Miss. 2004); Country Club of Jackson v. Turner, 192 Miss. 510, 4 So.2d 718, 721 (1941). Because McCullough does not formally plead knowledge or presence of violent tendencies and only briefly alleges negligent supervision in his response to a motion by the defense, the issue of whether Sanderson was negligent in its supervision of Varnado is not properly before this Court.
